UPDATED REVIEW:
Rolled credits, and my review stands. But with a caveat: Avowed hits so much harder if you play Pillars of Eternity and Deadfire first, and in many ways I think they uplift the game narratively from a 7/10 to a 9/10.

I could imagine a lot of people not really 'getting' the narrative that Avowed tells or why it matters so much in the world of Pillars, because while the game does what it can to set the stakes and inform you of the world, it exists so close to the narrative of its universe that they are very nearly required reading. Without them, it's a fantastic game with an interesting story. But with them, the story hits ten times harder.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Avowed isn't Skyrim, but you can get a good sense of if you would enjoy it by a comparison to it.

Skyrim is a game that you can live in. You can camp out, rely on food and water for survival. It's a sandbox where you make your own story, because the existing story isn't all that interesting. The fact that combat feels a bit floaty doesn't matter because it's just nice to exist in the world.

By comparison, Avowed has areas that you need to narratively progress through in order to move to the next place. It has a story that it wants to tell, rather than a sandbox you can go and play in. What it lacks in a giant sandbox it makes up for with fantastic combat that feels punchy, especially in melee.

Avowed isn't going to experience Skyrim levels of success, but I really love it for the fact that it's a tight game. It's not giant and expansive, it's tight and focused. The story is engaging (especially as a person who loved Pillars of Eternity and Deadfire), the combat is great fun, and the voice acting is wonderful. Overall I've really loved my time in Avowed so far and I can strongly recommend it to others.

UPDATED REVIEW: Rolled credits, and my review stands. But with a caveat: Avowed hits so much harder if you play Pillars of Eternity and Deadfire first, and in many ways I think they uplift the game narratively from a 7/10 to a 9/10. I could imagine a lot of people not really 'getting' the narrative that Avowed tells or why it matters so much in the world of Pillars, because while the game does what it can to set the stakes and inform you of the world, it exists so close to the narrative of its universe that they are very nearly required reading. Without them, it's a fantastic game with an interesting story. But with them, the story hits ten times harder. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Avowed isn't Skyrim, but you can get a good sense of if you would enjoy it by a comparison to it. Skyrim is a game that you can live in. You can camp out, rely on food and water for survival. It's a sandbox where you make your own story, because the existing story isn't all that interesting. The fact that combat feels a bit floaty doesn't matter because it's just nice to exist in the world. By comparison, Avowed has areas that you need to narratively progress through in order to move to the next place. It has a story that it wants to tell, rather than a sandbox you can go and play in. What it lacks in a giant sandbox it makes up for with fantastic combat that feels punchy, especially in melee. Avowed isn't going to experience Skyrim levels of success, but I really love it for the fact that it's a tight game. It's not giant and expansive, it's tight and focused. The story is engaging (especially as a person who loved Pillars of Eternity and Deadfire), the combat is great fun, and the voice acting is wonderful. Overall I've really loved my time in Avowed so far and I can strongly recommend it to others.